father, father (2024)
Father, Father
Be my ordinary
Not just extra
Ordinary
Be my valley lifted up
Not just my mountain top
Be my atmosphere, all within and without
All that I can see and be and need
Be my breath, like smoke signals
Father, Father
Be my coat and wrap around me,
Maybe a scarf and hat too
All around me within and without
I understand the chill on the tip of my nose
And the bite in my toes,
But father, father
Be my warmth,
It is so cold outside
And father when will that change?
When will that change?
The weather, that is.
In my priestly training, I’ve taken the class
Twice in fact
on Your connection to the elements
It is intricate
It is delicate
It is volatile
Our relationship, that is.
But Father, father
Be my dad
Not just in wiping away my tears, or lifting my sad
But teach me to stand
Teach me to build things like a fire I can hold
You know the ones, that last through the night
And teach me to tie my tie
And to gulp down that lump in my throat,
You know the one before I walk out
Into a moment
I’m in one right now.
A moment, that is.
Father, father
Be my vulnerability
Sometimes it feels like armor,
It is like bad cologne
It keeps people away
So few put it on, it stands out
But father, father
You seem to like it,
My vulnerability, that is.
Father, Father
Be my ordinary
Be my valley lifted up
Be my mountain top
Be my atmosphere, all within and without
Be my breath, like smoke signals
